Coparenting across the Deployment Cycle: Observations from Military Families with Young Children

Contemporary service members and their partners have adapted their coparenting to respond to the specific transitions and disruptions associated with wartime deployment cycles and evolving child development. This qualitative study draws upon interviews with service member and home front parents of v...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family issues 2020-09, Vol.41 (9), p.1447-1469
Main Authors: DeVoe, Ellen R., Ross, Abigail M., Spencer, Renee, Drew, Alison, Acker, Michelle, Paris, Ruth, Jacoby, Vanessa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Armed forces
Child development
Children
Children & youth
Everyday life
Family roles
Parents
Parents & parenting
Psychological distress
Qualitative research
Well being
Young Children
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Summary:Contemporary service members and their partners have adapted their coparenting to respond to the specific transitions and disruptions associated with wartime deployment cycles and evolving child development. This qualitative study draws upon interviews with service member and home front parents of very young children to characterize their coparenting experiences throughout the deployment cycle. Parents described varied approaches as they considered their children’s developmental capacities, the fluidity of demands throughout deployment, and the service member’s well-being during reintegration. A common theme was the key role of home front parents in facilitating the service member–child relationship through communication and maintaining the presence of the deployed parent in the child’s everyday life. Reintegration challenges included redistribution of coparenting roles, the pacing of the service member into family roles, and concerns related to the returning parent’s distress. Study findings highlight areas of coparenting throughout the deployment cycle that can be supported though prevention and intervention efforts.
ISSN:0192-513X
1552-5481
DOI:10.1177/0192513X19894366